Fire apparatus.



PATENTED JULY 11,1905.

B. B. BRIGGS. FIRE APPARATUS APPLIOMION PiLED MAR. 3, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

No. 794,278. PATENTEDJULY 11, 1905.

- B. B. BRIGGS.

FIRE APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 3, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Patented July 11, 1905.

PATENT UFFTCE.

BURDETT B. BRIGGS, OF ORESTON, IOWA.

FIRE APPARATUS- SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0.794,278, dated July 11, 1905.

Application filed MarchB, 1904. Serial No. 196,359.

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, BURDETT B. BRIGGS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Creston, in the county of Union and State of Iowa, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire Apparatus; and mypreferred manner of carrying out the invention is set forth in thefollowing full, clear, and exact description,terminating with claimsparticularly specifying the invention.

My invention relates to improvements in fire-trucks, more especially tothat class in which water-towers are carried on the truck, and toimprovements made by myself on an application filed November 27, 1903,Serial No. 182,890; and the objects of the same are, first, to providean improved construction of the truck-frame, so as to reduce the heightof the load carried without reducing the height of the front wheels, asis customary in apparatus of this class; second, to provide improvementswhereby a ladder or tower can be mounted on the forward end of thetruckframe and hose carried in a box in the rear of the truck; third, toprovide an improvement for directing a stream of water from the nozzle;fourth, to provide means whereby the extensible section can be extendedor distended without the necessity of an operator to attend to separatemeans which regulates the nozzle; fifth, to provide an improved meansfor raising the tower from a horizontal to a vertical position, in whichlifting-levers and hoistingcables are used.

To this end the invention consists in the details of constructionhereinafter more fully described and claimed and as shown in theaccompanying drawings, which form part of this specification, whereinFigure 1 is a side elevation of the entire device. Fig. 2 is a rear endview of the truckframe removed from the running-gear. Fig. 3 is a sideelevation of the truck-frame in section removed from the running-gearand the tower raised and extended, certain parts being cut away. Fig. 4is a front view of the tower and raising mechanism removed from the mainframe, the tower being raised and the upper section extended.

Referring to the drawings, similar characters of reference refer tosimilar parts throughout the several views.

A and B designates the front and rear part of the running-gear of thetruck, such as usually forms part of the fire equipment of large cities.The main frame of the truck has each one of its two sides constructed oftwo parallel bars 1 and 2, the bar 2 being remotely below the bar 1 andextends from the rear end of the truck forward only to a point which isrearward of the front running-gear, as seen in Fig. 1. A diagonal bar 3is interposed between bars 1 2 and attached at its forward end to theforward end of the upper bar 1, and the other or rear end of the bar 3is attached to the rear end of the lower bar 2, as shown in Fig. 1.Another brace 4 is attached at one end to the rear end of bar 1 andextends downward and forward to the bar 3, and several struts 5 areinterposed between the bars, as will be seen in Fig. 1. A wire-netting 6is secured on the inside of the sides to close the aperture between thebars and struts, which prevents the hose from sliding out through same,but can be of any suitable material. The two sides are connectedtogether by cross-bars 7, and to which is secured the bottom 8. Theforward end of the box or bottom (designated as 10) slants upward andforward, which allows a hose to pass under and up through theturn-table, as best seen in Fig; 3. It will be seen in Fig. 1 that thebar 3, being attached to the forward end of the bar 1 and to the rearend of the lower bar 2, prevents any end vibration of the two parallelbars; but to further assist in securing the lower bar to the bar 3 ametal brace 9 is secured to the lower part of the frame of the box andextends upward and forward to the bar 3, as shown in Figs. 1, 3.

At the rear end of the truck uprights 12 are secured on opposite sidesof the truck-frame to the rear cross-bar 7 and extend upward and inwardand are connected together at their upper ends by the cross-rod 13, asbest seen in Fig. 2. The uprights are also secured to the bar 1,preferably by brackets 14, but other means can be used. A truss-rod 15is attached to the upper end of each upright. Said truss-rod extendsdownward and over a strut 16 and through the cross-bar 7, and a bur 17,screwed on the lower end thereof, secures the truss to the cross-bar 7.

-A turn-table is mounted upon the forward end of the truck-frame and isconstructed so that the upper section 19 may turn upon the lower section20.

The tower which is employed herein and mounted upon the turn-tableconsists of a main ladder (designated as E) and an extensible section F,movable on the main section. The main section is pivoted at one end tothe turn-table or at 21 to uprights 22, secured to the rotary section 19of the turn-table. A pair of lifting-levers 23 are pivoted at one end at24 to the uprights 22 at a point which is above and forward of the pivotof the main ladder, the free ends of the levers leading to and movableon opposite sides of the ladder and connected together by a cross-rod25, movable under the ladder, as seen in Figs. 1, 3, and 4. Ahoisting-cable 26 is connected to'the ends of the lifting-levers (orcross-rod) and leads upward or outward to and over pulleys 27 mounted onopposite sides of the ladder, as at 28, said cables returning therefromforward to and over pulleys 29, mounted on the uprights 22, as at 30, ata point which is above and'forward of the pivot 21 of the ladder, saidcable leading thence to awindlass 31, as shown in Figs. 1, 4. TheWindlass can be of any suitable construction and location other thanshown.

It is manifest that by pivoting the liftinglevers above and forward ofthe pivot of the ladder and hoisting-cables leading from the levers tothe pulley which is mounted on the ladder the lifting-levers do not bendor buckle under the strain caused by the hoistingcables in elevating theladder, and by mounting the pulleys 27 on the ladder, which is generallytrussed and of rigid construction, no brace is employed rearward of theladder, and a lighter and stronger structure is obtained.

On the upper or outer end of the extensible section F of the ladder (ortower) a nozzle 35 is mounted on a cross-rod 36, and a hose 37 isconnected with the nozzle and leads to the foot end of the ladder andthrough the turntable and into the hose-box, as best seen in Fig. 3. Apulley (or quadrant) 38 is rigidly secured to the shaft 36, which isalso rigidly connected with the nozzle, or the pulley can be securedrigid to the nozzle or form part of the nozzle. A spring 39 is attachedto the pulley or nozzle and to the tower at a point which will cause thenozzle to swing outward and upward when the tower is in a horizontalposition and also operate to keep the nozzle cable under tension and maybe adapted to throw the nozzle over forward, if desired.

A cable 40 is attached to the pulley 38 and leads down toward the footend of the main section to and over a pulley 41, thence to a Windlass42, secured on the main section A cable 43 connects the pulley 41to asecond Windlass 44, located remote from the Windlass 42, and is providedwith a ratchet and pawl, as is usual with a Windlass. A cable 45. forextending the extensible section F is also secured to the Windlass 42,which is provided with a ratchet and pawl. Said cable leads from thisWindlass to a pulley 46 on the outer end of the main section and thenceto the lower end of the extension-section.

As will be seen in the drawings, the cable for extending the uppersection and the cable for regulating the nozzle both wind and unwind onthe Windlass 42; but as the cable 45 is wound on the drum to extend theupper section the nozzle-cable is unwound to the same extent andheretofore has required two separate mechanisms for this purpose. Toregulate the swing of the nozzle, the cable 43, to which the pulley 41is attached, is wound or unwound on the Windlass 44 and which doesnotinterfere with the operation of the Windlass 42, nor does theextending or distending of the upper section change the position of thenozzle.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is I 1. In a fire-apparatus truck, the sidesof which are each composed of two parallel bars, the front end of thelower bar being remotely back of the front end of the top barand to therear of the front axle, said lower bar extending to the rear end of thetruck, a diagonal bar connected at one end to the front end of the topbar and at the other end to the rear end of the lower bar, a braceattached at one end to the rear end of the top bar and extending forwardand down to the diagonal bar, struts interposed between the bars, andtransverse cross-bars connecting the sides and supporting a floorbetween said sides,substantially as described.

2. The truck-frame comprising two sides, each composed of two parallelbars, the front end of the upper bar extending forward beyond the frontend of the lower bar, a third bar attached at one end to the front endof the upper bar and extending rearward and down to the lower bar,struts interposed between said bars, and means connecting the two sidestogether-in pairs, as set forth.

3. The truck-frame comprising two sides, each consisting of a pluralityof bars, one of said bars extending forward beyond the front end of alower bar, a truss-bar secured to the front end of said upper bar andextending downward and rearward toward the said lower bar, and meansconnecting the two sides together in pairs.

4. The truck-frame comprising two sides, each consisting of two parallelbars, one above the other. the front end of the top bar extendingforward beyond the front end of the lower bar which is rearward ofthefront running-gear, a diagonal bar fastened at one end to the frontend of the top bar and extending therefrom to and fastened to the lowerbar, transverse cross-bars between said sides and a floor thereon, allfor the purpose set forth.

5. The truck-frame comprising two sides, each side composed of aplurality of bars, comprising an upper bar extending forward beyond thefront end of a lower bar, and a truss-bar secured to the front end ofsaid upper bar and extending rearward and down toward said lower bar,struts interposed between said bars, and abottorn secured between saidsides, as set forth.

6. The combination in a truck, of the sides of said truck composed of aplurality of bars, cross-bars connecting the two sides together and alsosupporting a floor between said sides, a turn-table mounted on the frontend of said frame, a ladder pivoted thereon, means on the turn-tableadapted to elevate the ladder; a cross-bar extending out from the twosides of the truck-uprights rising from both ends of said bar andinclined inward, truss-rods attached to the top end of said uprights andextending down to the said cross-bar, a crossrod connecting the top endsof said uprights and adapted to support the free end of the ladder whenlowered upon the truck, as set forth.

7. The combination with the truck-frame, of cross-bar extending out fromthe two sides of the truck, uprights rising therefrom, trussrodsattached to the top of said uprights and extending down through the endsof said cross-bar, a strut interposed between each truss and upright,and burs screwed on the lower ends of said truss-rods, substantially asdescribed.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed by name to thisspecification, at Oreston, in the county of Union and State of Iowa,this 1st day of March, 1904, in the presence of two subscribingwitnesses.

BUR DETT B. BRIGGS.

Witnesses:

WILLARD H. GODDARD, WARREN P. Rome.

